My big goal for 2024 is to minimize 85% of my household items (!!!)
WHY?
- My time is so precious these days that I just can’t waste it on organizing and keeping track of literally everything
- This upcoming year will be a crazy one with renovations, moves, and temporary living that having to store things in construction zones doesn’t sound appealing to me…
- I’m craving simplicity in all areas of life
What it really boils down to is, I’m decluttering in order to minimize the amount of things we need to move and store.
I’m creating an environment where we aren’t stressed over storing and we are organizing less, not more.
HOW?
This is an extremely valid question. One that I have wrestled with a little bit after working through a few rooms (85% is a lot of stuff..)
Essentially I’m breaking it down into super manageable chunks.
Some questions that I’m asking:
- Will we need this in the next year?
- Do I use this daily or monthly?
- What purpose does this item serve and is it even useful?
If it’s not an immediate, YES, it’s a no and I place it in one of the three categories: Donate, Trash, or Time Will Tell.
With my time will tell bin, I am keeping the items for a month, and if I don’t reach for them during this time then the items will be donated.
WHAT’S IT BEEN LIKE?
Overall it’s gone pretty smoothly. I feel like I’m in the “trim the fat” stage of my decluttering which means if we aren’t using it or haven’t used it in the last year it’s gone. It helps that we have a storage unit that needs to be emptied by January 6th and we’ve moved so many times that things just haven’t been unpacked so I forgot about them anyway.
But let me tell you DECISION FATIGUE IS SO REAL.
When I start to get the point of doubt, I just pause then finish the space I’m working on and take a break. I’m giving myself the full month of January to pair things down.
I heard someone say that decluttering forces you to look at every single thing you’ve ever spent money on. Which I can see why they say that. I’ve also realized the amount of things I’ve kept for “someday” and have realized that someday has not come nor will ever come so I can let it go.
If I wasn’t already working on decluttering my home prior, I think I would be having more of a difficult time but since I’ve slowly been challenging myself and experimenting with minimal closets, random home declutters, and making my home high functioning it hasn’t been too overwhelming.
I’d say I’m 50% decluttered at this point.
WHERE CAN YOU START?
Feeling the pull to minimize? I suggest starting in your closet and experimenting with a minimal or capsule wardrobe. This is what happened when I downsized my clothes.
I found it’s the easiest place to start building your decluttering muscle. Where you realize how little you actually wear and have things you can donate that just don’t fit.
Want more tips? Start here.
